Preparation, characterization, and structure of two dipyrrolide thorium homoleptic complexes - Isolation of a dipyrrolide dipotassium salt with an inverted-sandwich type of structure

Reactions of the in-situ-generated potassium salts of the dipyrroles (C4H3NH)(2)C(CH3)(2) and of (C4H3NH)(2)-C( CH3)(C6H5) with ThCl4(DME)(2) has afforded the corresponding homoleptic ({[(C4H3N)(2)C(CH3)(2)](3)Th}[K-2(DME)])(n) (1) and {[(C4H3N)(2)C(CH3)(C6H5)](3)Th}[K-2(DME)] ( 2). In the case of 1, the solid state polymeric structure was elucidated by X-ray diffraction analysis. Preliminary attempts to reduce these species have so far afforded only intractable materials. Just in the case of 2, it was possible to isolate the corresponding ligand dipotassium salt {(C4H3NH)(2)C(CH3)(C-6-H-5)[K(DME)](2)}(n) (3) as the only characterizable material. This species possesses an unprecedented inversed-sandwich type of structure.